Car-coupling



(No Model.)

G. H. HUTTENLOCHER.

GAR GOYPLING.

a Patented July 27, 1886. @/j

SMWM@ uU f W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GOTTLIEB H. HUTTENLOCHER, OF DES MOINES, IOVA.

CAR-coUPLlNc.

SPECIFJCATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 346,107, dated July 27, 1886.

Application led April 20, 1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GOTTLIEB H. HUTTEN- LocHER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have iuvented anew and useful Improvement in Oar- Oouplings, of which the following is a specication.

My improvement relates to devices that are designed to govern a coupling link and pin as required to couple and uncouple cars without exposing a hand, arm, or body between the cars.

Heretofore a plain-faced plate supported upon parallel bars has been combined with a draw-head and a single rock-shaft that extended across the entire end of a car, and a coupling-pin having a loop pivoted t0 its top in such a manne-r that the plate and pin could be simultaneously raised and lowered by means of the rock-shaft.

My invention consists in the construction and combination of a link-governing device of concavo-convex shape anda coupling-pin having a cross-head with a draw-bar and car, and two rock-shafts, as hereinafter set forth, in such a manner that a person at either side or on top ofa car can readily govern a link of common form, as required, to direct it into the link-cavity of a draw-head, and to let a coupling-pin drop through the link, and also in such a manner that the coupling-pin will be depressed and retained in the link by the force of gravity of the link-lifting device, and also readily lifted by a person at the side or top of a car, as required, to uncouple.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view showing my device attached to a draw-head and the end of a car, as required for practical use. Fig. 2 is a side view representing two cars coupled together and the link-governing devices in pendent positions, as required to retain the pins in the draw-heads and link. Together they illustrate the construction, application, operation, and utility of my complete invention.

A represents a draw-head of common form fixed to a car by means of bolts, or in any suitable way.

B is my link-governing device, preferably cast complete in one piece, and pivoted to the Serial No. 199,460.

(No model.)

draw-head by means of a bolt, or in any suitable way, or to the car in such a manner that it will in its normal position hang immediately below the draw head, and out of the way. It is in the form of a concavo-convex plate, that has arms C extending from its sides, and wide enough apart to admit the drawhead between them when the device is elevated to lift a link thereby. The curved surface of the plate is specially adapted to engage the rounded end of a coupling-link and to direct the link laterally aswell as vertically relative to the mouth of the link-cavity and the coupling-pin, that is to pass throughthe couplinglink.

D is a pin that has a cross-head at its top.

Nos. l and 2 are rock-shafts in bearings attached to the car. They have cranks at their inner ends, which are flexibly connected with the cross-head of the pin D in such a manner that the pin can be readily lifted, when the shafts are jointly operated, by a person at the side of the-car by means of a crank-handle on the end of the shaft, or by a person on top of the car by means of a crank,f, in one of the shafts, and a rope or cord, g, that extends up within reach. By thus combining two short rock-shafts direct with the cross-head of thecouplingpin no extraneous loop or connecting device is required, and the crosshead of the pin practically unites the two shafts, so that they can be operated jointly from either side of the car.

h h represent rods or chains, connected with the cranks on the inner ends of the crankshaft or the cross-head of the pin, and the sides of the hinged or pivoted link-governing device, in sucha manner that when the rockshafts are turned toward the car they will simultaneously lift the pin, as required, to allow a link to enter the draw-head and the link-governing device to engage the free end of a link carried by a draw-head on another car, as required to lift the free end of the link and direct it into the vacant draw-head. As quick as two cars have come together, and the link carried by the o ne thus directed-into the draw-head of the other, the operator can, by relaxing his hold, let the link-governing device and pin drop by force of gravity, as required to complete the coupling of the two IOO oars. To uncouple, I simply lift the pin by arms C, the pin D, having a cross-head, the 1o means of the rookshafts connected with the rook-shafts Nos. l and 2, and connecting rods cross-head of the pin. or chains l1 with a draw-head and car, to op- I claim as my inventionerate snbstzrnt-ally as and for the purposes set 5 l. In a ear-coupling, the Combination of a, forth.

pin having a Cross-head and two rock-shafts GOTTLIEB H. HUTTENLOCHER. having cranks on their ends, for the purposes Vtnesses: stated. C. W. STILEs,

2. The Combination of the device B, having THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

